I got an inch of water inside my Adventure Yesterday. Checking the hull I found cracks in the front of the drive well. As you can see, the cracks get wider when putting pressure on the Mirage pedals.Is this a known problem? I have read on this forum that this happened with 2006 models but mine is 2008.My Adventure is still under warranty. I think this is not easy to repair because of the heavy pressure the Mirage is putting on that spot.Why is there a nut on that location? (That nut is weakening that area while I'm failing to see its pupose).

The "nut" is actually a brass insert designed to draw in more plastic as part of the molding process. It is to reinforce the drive well area. And the first year Adventure did not have this insert, At least that is my understanding.Normally there is a little white plastic finishing plug that gets put in place so that you don't see the insert. There are inserts below the mast cup as well.

Out of curiosity. Does you model have the cam style locks for the mirage drive or the newer click-n-go mechanism? I bet cam locks. The click-n-go mechanism adds greatly to the drive not flexing forward so much under heavy use. The new hull would have that improvement.

I believe you will get a new hull. A generous amount (2 tubes) of 3m Scotch Weld DP8010 would be the best patch in the mean time.

This week I was noticing an increase in water in my hull. I knew something was up and after inspection, found a crack in the same spot. I honestly thought I was going to cry..lol, really. Mine is a 2007 model, I am wondering if the turbo fins are just too much torque for these. My cam columns look a little tweaked too, but I dont see any cracks in them. Sad day...I was hoping to get more than 2 years out of this boat.

Rotomolding is one of those processes where there is a little variation in each product. Unfortunately it's unavoidable, although I think Hobie has gone to great lengths to minimize it and holds several patents in the industry.

The Mirage Drive certainly stresses the drivewell, especially with Turbofins. the boats are engineered to handle this with an extra margin, but every once in awhile due to temperature, humidity, and other factors that cannot be absolutely controlled, this variation can cause something like a drivewell crack.

It is very hard to detect this type of problem until it actually happens. No doubt, that's why Hobie is so good with their boat replacement policy.

One of the biggest eye openers for me was getting to test a newly introduced foot powered prop drive last year in a rotomolded kayak from a different manufacturer. Attempting a simple sprint, their pedal unit literally ripped away from its attachment point on the second try. Whoops! This was something I do almost every day chasing boat wakes with the Hobie. I gained a huge respect for something I had always taken for granted.

Hobie provided additional reinforcement to the Adventure drivewell in mid '06 shortly after the Turbofins came out. As Yak says, the new '09 Click and Go Drive attachment system makes further improvements. Yet there will probably always be that odd boat that something doesn't come out right on. That's what warranties are for. As long as Hobie makes it good, I don't worry about it -- the boats are designed to be used!

PS Even if you're out of warranty, contact your dealer about options. As Yak also suggested, there are some excellent polyethylene bonding epoxies such as the 3M Scotchweld DP 8010 and Loctite 3030.

This week I was noticing an increase in water in my hull. I knew something was up and after inspection, found a crack in the same spot. I honestly thought I was going to cry..lol, really. Mine is a 2007 model, I am wondering if the turbo fins are just too much torque for these. My cam columns look a little tweaked too, but I dont see any cracks in them. Sad day...I was hoping to get more than 2 years out of this boat.

The thing to keep your eyes on are the cams themselves, if they start to 'unlock' whilst your pedalling, if you have to keep tightrning them up, then the columns are probably giving out.

Congratulations! You just got a new boat. I had the same crack, same place. What to do is a no brainer. Go to who you bought it from ASAP and ask for a replacement. They will replace the entire hull, assembled with everything except the main lanyard and luggage bungee in the back.Do not attempt to fix it. The cyclic loads with defeat anything you try. I melted the area back together and it looked like new, but I had only smeared the surface and burned out some of petroleum (not sure what that does to adhesion). The crack reappeared on the first outing. Sealants did not work either. Not much will stick to polyethylene, particularly when it is put under tension.Hobie has a two year warranty, although I would guess that they may extend it on this issue.

Im definitely not knocking Hobie by any means, it was just a bummer to find. I will still "promote" their product as I always have when the people gather round interested in my "neat" contraption..lol. Thanks for the input on fixes, I will give it a try. I am a firefighter and only work every 4th day....you can guess where the other days are spent, I dont intend on missing too many days on the water, I could possibly fall victim to a serious case of hobie separation anxiety!

I didn't know this was a weak link on the AI. So I reluctently turned it over and had a look last night. Thank god it's OK. But I will double check the securing of the drive from now on. Hope you have luck with Hobie with the warranty.

You have the right mind set. I have a 07 Revolution that cracked in the drive well. I purchased it 2 years and 13 days before I found where the water was coming from. It is a bummer but knowing what Hobie has done in the past I was sure they would replace it. I spent a week at the lakes with a broken Hobie. Just had to drain water more often. Sure enough my new hull should be here with-in the week.

Any product can have a problem. But what the manufacturer does about a problem is the real issue. Hobie is always fair as far as the postings on this forum confirm. Or another owner comes through with a remedy.

I use Pierce Lake in Rock Cut State Park in north central Illinois. Its 15 minutes from my house. I also paddle the rivers with Prairie State Canoeists club, & Stateline Paddlers (they don't know about peddling) in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan & Indiana. We have other lakes in Wisconsin that are good. I sail on the lakes if there is wind. If not, peddle & fish. Rivers are all paddling as you never know what lurks below. Unless I am on the Mississippi.